The Day it Snowed
by dib07
Summary: Yami angst: It is snowing, and Yami spends some quality time with Joey, only to quickly learn the dangers that come from the cold. As it happens, Pharaoh's don't mix with ice very well. Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.


Yu-Gi-Oh

A 'Damaged Goods' Saga

The Day it Snowed

Yami X Jonouchi

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**A/N:** I thought I'd do this story properly and give the English dub justice, so I had to formally drop all Japanese text, references and character names to do this, and it wasn't easy. I 'had' to do this because of the importance and structural integrity of Yami's character. I couldn't keep Dan Green' voice in my mind if he started calling Joey 'Jonouchi' or Yugi 'Aibou'. So in order to keep Yami whole I had to drop the Japanese front just this one time to see if it would work.

**Warning:** Contains dark angst, Joey's swearing and Dan Green

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Part 1:**

"Ah man, what a day, what a day!"

"Cool your excitement, Joey! It's just snow!"

"Yeah, but I love snow! You can build snowmen, make snow angels, blast each other with snowballs..."

Teà laughed. "You're such a dolt!"

Yami hurried to keep up with them. Unlike his, their strides were long and confident. They reached the corner of the road and cars slashed through the icy slush that congealed on the asphalt.

It had been snowing bitterly all day, and the forecast warned of more. Yami had seen snow before, and he found it mystical and otherworldly. His other two friends chatted about it as if this unique weather was merely a fad and nothing monstrously different than what they were used to. So while Yami battled to understand the logistics of walking through the snow, Teà and Joey strode out ahead with sublime ease.

Finished with his milkshake, he tipped the strawberry carton into the garbage can. Joey had treated them for dinner at Big Joe's. It wasn't exactly Yami's favourite place to dine, though undoubtedly Yugi loved the hot steam of the burgers, the crispy French fries and the taste of the warm, soft buns.

"Looks busy." Joey broadcasted with a vague sense of disappointment as they crossed another slushy road. Ahead of them loomed The Arcade. Being a Saturday, it was mostly crammed with small children and gawky teenagers who had shirked away from their homework to chill out with their friends. The spring and prattle of joysticks could even be heard over the road of virtual engines as people raced each other upon giant plastic replicas of cars or motorbikes. The young children crowded around the penny slot machines and the toy-grabbers as rigged grapplers swayed over nauseatingly coloured teddy bears.

Yami shivered, sending the snow that had gathered on his little shoulders plummeting to the carpet. It was much warmer inside The Arcade, thanks to the heaving throng of sweaty, smelly people.

Teà left them for a moment to buy a big bag of sweets while the two boys went to gamble at the fruit slots. Yugi had warned Yami about the vices of gambling, but it was an addiction. It was just for fun. Joey liked to try his luck on the slots the most. After slipping in his yen, he cranked the stick and watched the barrels of fruit fly.

Yami emulated his friend on the machine next door, and watched with cold calculation as coins hit the tray by his knees. He bent down to scoop them up.

"Come on! Daddy needs a new pair o' jeans!" Joey hammered on the machine when his luck didn't play out the way he wanted it too.

Yami was about to dissuade him from punching the machine again when he heard a trickle of laughter at his back. He turned round, and his eyes narrowed in some parts anger, some parts hate. Joey peered round too, and only rolled his eyes when he saw the owners of the laughter. "Rex Rapter and fuckin' Weevil Underwood. In all da places!"

"Hey look, its boyfriend and boyfriend!" Rex chuckled, pointing at the two duellists with venom coating his words.

Weevil picked up a peanut from the bowl he held and flung it at them. One hit Yami's buckled chest.

"Let's go somewhere else, Joey." Yami said, his eyes not leaving the duo.

"Ah , just ignore 'em, Yami. They're idiots preying on the weak. I got money ta win."

""What's up, Yami?" Weevil sniped, picking up immediately on the name without a hitch, "Are we picking on you? You wanna go home and cry?"

Yami stepped forwards, his eyes flaring in ire. Joey gripped his little shoulder and gently turned him back around.

"Come on, big guy. We'll go somewhere else where these flea-bitten losers can't follow us." He spoke it loudly enough for Rex and Weevil to hear him as he growled out the words: hoping they'd hear the threat concealed in them, and then he gently steered Yami away. The Pharaoh struggled once, then sagged and tried to relax when Joey took him towards the drinks bar.

"Insects." He said.

At first Joey stared at him, uncomprehending. Then they both burst into thick, creamy laughter. "Insects is right! Ah. The things I sacrificed for Rex as well, ya know, carrying him across 'bout thirty odd miles of train tracks 'en all. Bastards. You want a drink?"

"Am I allowed, Joey?"

Joey shrugged. "Don't see why not." He glanced over at the busy barkeeper who was trying to replenish drinks as fast as they were being knocked back. "Hey, barkeep! A root beer and a... root beer, please!"

"There you are boys!" Teà returned to them holding a white paper bag full of sweeties. She did a little wink. "I have sherbet!"

Yami smiled weakly. "Yes. You do."

Teà couldn't quite tell whether he was being serious or taking the piss. Sometimes Yami's solemnity bordered on frivolity, she was sure. "Want some?"

"You wanna rot his teeth, Teà?" Joey said, surging to Yami's rescue as if she had GUM DISEASE written on her pink t-shirt.

"It's only sherbet! He won't die!" Teà snapped back, exasperated. She delved one hand into her bag and gave Yami a sherbet sweet.

"Thank you." He studied it most carefully in his hands.

Joey nudged his shoulder and gave him his root beer. "Now!" He cheered, almost strangling Teà and Yami as he brought his arms around their necks in good spirits. "On to some more gaming!"

Needless to say, a few hours later, there came the cry of: "Aw man! I spent all my money!"

"That's what you get when you gamble, gamble, gamble!" Teà teased.

"Stupid machines! Stupid house rules! They always steal ya money and never give you a dime back!" Joey tried not to kick anymore slot machines on his way out. Security had begun to watch him.

"You did fine, Joey. Maybe next time?" Yami tried to encourage his friend. "We had fun, after all."

"Yah, yah." Joey whisked out his phone. "If The Arcade didn't charge so much for its damn parking, we wouldn't hafta walk ten miles back ta the car either! And now I think my phone's on the fritz!"

They headed out through the double doors. It was good to drink in the bitter air as they pervaded outside, and it was still snowing. It wasn't nearly as heavy as before, and Yami almost stopped to admire it, but again he had to hurry and catch up while Teà and Joey sauntered on ahead.

"Oh darn. Battery's low." He slipped his phone into his back pocket. "Great."

"Well, you will leave it uncharged at night." She reprimanded him.

"Nag, nag, nag." He turned to the pharaoh. "Never get married to a woman, dude. They'll run you ragged!"

Yami grinned politely. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Well," Teà began, suddenly looking reluctant. She hung back, and Joey and Yami slowed to a halt. "This is where I gotta leave you guys. Sorry. I'm meeting up with some girls later."

Joey put on his best smile. "Okay then, Teà. You stay cool, awright?"

"Until we meet again, Teà." Yami said, bowing his head a little.

Teà rolled her eyes. "Yami, you always act so... so formal."

"I do?"

The stark confusion marring his scrupulous countenance made her want to embrace him, but she didn't know how he'd react. Maybe next time when she was feeling a little more confident, she would.

"Never mind! See ya!" She turned to head back the way they had come and waved.

The boys waved back.

"Cute girl." Joey said, recommencing the walk to the car that awaited them in some frosty, godforsaken car park under a dual carriageway.

"Yes, she is. Hey, Joey? Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I really that formal?"

Joey laughed without trying to appear too discourteous. "Yeah. You are."

The air felt brittle when they slumped into the front seats of the car. Gripping the steering wheel gave Joey numb fingers and on top of that his nose was running all the time. Yami was hugging his arms to his chest, even though he wore a scarf, mittens and a coat over his buckled top. The trip back had been a bother, and Joey was reasonably convinced that Yami was pretty beat. He didn't complain, but the pharaoh's added silence told Joey that he was more tired than usual.

Strapping cold seatbelts across their chests, Joey warmed up the engine and reversed out of the parking bay until he straightened the car towards the exit. "So, had a good time?" Joey asked.

"Yes, I did. We should do it again."

"If Yugi allows it. Letting me have the day with you was crazily fortune, so I doubt it'll happen a second time."

"He can be persuaded."

They fell silent again as the snow trickled down and kissed the windshield of Joey's car.

Other cars passed them on the road. Joey tried to get the interior heating to function, but like everything else in his car, it didn't work. And there were no spare blankets for his charge. He wanted to apologize, but he knew that Yami wouldn't want to hear it.

The pharaoh seemed blithely happy just to gaze at the window and watch the houses pass by in a portrait of snow. He was building his own memories.

Joey slowed down, turned a corner and went up Bridle Way. The car bumped over ice which caused the whole car and its occupants to shudder.

Another car was driving up ahead. Joey drew closer to it while his rusty wind wipers jerked to and fro to ward off the maelstrom of snow. Following the car in front, they exited Bridle Way and shot down a road beside a field. The car picked up speed, as there was no traffic to impede their progress.

"You doing anything tonight, Yami? With Yugi and yer Gramps?"

Yami shrugged. "Yugi mentioned that we were going to watch a movie on the TV. I don't suppose we'll be duelling."

"Oh shit!" The car in front unexpectedly braked to a halt to avoid a head-on collision with a deer. Joey, in his panic, slammed on the brakes, but the car, unable to grip on the black ice, swerved dangerously and swerved off the road. Joey tried to grapple with the steering wheel as he sought to purchase balance, but the car roared forwards and smashed into a tree: stalling it to a halt. Under the foliage the interior of the car had plunged into pitch-darkness. At once Joey fumbled for his little friend. When he accidently touched Yami's throat, the pharaoh slapped his hand away.

"Jesus! You okay?"

"I am fine."

"Can you move?"

"Yes, I think so. And you?"

The engine was yawning with smoke. Joey opened his car door, allowing snowy sunshine to stream in. "Yeah, I think so. Goddamn it!" He went to stand up and was unexpectedly jerked back. It took him seconds to realize that he was still wearing his seatbelt. Snapping it free, he limped wearily into the light. Behind him was the long tracks as the wheels tried to grip on slush and mud. Further still was the road where they had come off at an angle.

"That driver in front didn't even stop by to see if we were okay. What a JERK!" He shouted.

Yami stepped out, unnecessarily dusting off his coat and buckles. Joey spun round to see him in the daylight and his heart lifted. Yami was completely unhurt. He looked dazed, and a little shocked, and Joey supposed he looked a little shook-up too.

"What happened, Joey?"

"The sleazeball in front braked too hard and I turned to avoid hitting 'em. Now look what I did! I went and ran inta a fuckin' tree! Triston's never gonna let me live this down! Urgh!" He kicked scathingly at the mud as if he was sure all of nature had a vendetta against him. Then he took a few deep breaths in the frosty air while Yami looked on, awaiting Joey's next move.

The blonde did a walk round the car. The front bender was bent indiscriminately and smoke and oil pulsed out of the engine like a viscous gash wound to some vital organ. "I would call my break down providers and have them repair the car 'en pick us up." He was saying as his eyes inspected the carnage. "But my phone's about dead and I sure as hell can't remember their service number off the top of my head. Aw hell! If I hadn't have spent all our money, we could have at least got a taxi!"

"What about my phone?" He said, bringing it over with hope glittering in his eyes.

"Naw. I don't know my breakdown cover number. I could call Yuug but he sure as hell can't drive and... we can walk home, right? I mean, if you can manage it?"

"How far from Yugi's place are we?"

"'Bout four miles, give or take, but my apartment's closer. It's only two miles away or so. We can go there 'en get you a ride home instead. Sound good? Besides, walking will keep us warm 'en all."

"I'll manage."

Together, they wadded through the mud and snow to reach the road that scaled upward in elevation. The road itself bordered the woodland that was supposed to house a rare species of deer. There were no cars on the wet asphalt to greet them, but there was the body of an unfortunate deer. It lay, torn on the road, its body oozing out its lifeblood as its one eye glazed forever upward at the afternoon sun. Yami gasped in a raw breath and stumbled backwards, almost losing his step and tumbling back down the slope they had just climbed. Joey had the foresight to comprehend Yami's reaction, and he grabbed the small Game King before he disappeared.

"It's okay! It's just a dead deer! That stupidass driver hit the poor thing after all."

"It's... it's bleeding!" Yami's eyes stuck to its little carcass as if he were being hypnotised by its remains. Snow melted on a red-tinged pelt that was still warm.

Joey forcibly grabbed him and spun him round so that his frozen, appalled stare was distracted by his tawny eyes. "It's dead, Yami. Trust me; I know dead when I see dead."

"Are you sure?" His thick, deep voice faltered as if he was on the tip of a precipice.

"Yes! Now come on! We got two sodden miles ta trudge!"

Guiding Yami round the area as if he was protecting him from a dangerous acid spillage, they began their 'trudge' up the road along the verge. Joey was tempted to stick out a thumb when a speeding car came by and hitchhike home, but he struggled to trust strangers, and so he relented from the prospect.

Snow clad the hills, the tops of trees in sombre clarity.

For some time Yami would look back around, concerned at the creature they were leaving behind. But once Joey got him talking about duel monsters, all seemed well again. It was good to keep the Game King talking and it was also good to share more time with him alone without the hustle and bustle of life and distraction.

Joey spoke nonsense half the time anyway as if he could not find the right jest to ease the pressure of their situation. The walk was monotonous and Yami began to unconsciously drag his feet after about a mile. They turned in from the woodland and entered the beginnings of an urban residential area that was flocked with poor housing and small, crammed apartments. Dogs were barking in someone's garden. Kids who were supposed to be in school were kicking a ball around on a snowy field.

After another mile, Yami started to flag behind. He was out of breath, and even though Joey suggested they rest awhile, the Game King cautioned off the proposition that befitted his stubborn persona.

When they were not far from Joey's old place, they walked across a wide, empty park. The only inhabitants were the birds. They perched on bare trees, or roosted on streetlights and park benches.

To their close left was the flat surface of Domino's lake. It wasn't the largest lake in the city, but it attracted a fair few denizens on hot, summer days. As of now, it was frozen, marked only by the faint, blue sheen on its surface.

Joey pulled out the phone from his pocket; sure that he had given the battery enough rest and that he might gain a few seconds of energy before it blacked out on him again. While he was fiddling away, Yami looked to the south, thinking that he recognized the area of housing rising from beyond the preliminaries of the lake. But winter had a way of changing the environment and he hadn't got the hang of finding his way in Domino yet. He began to stray from Joey's side. Clumsily he met the ice. The surface teased his grip, and he blundered onwards, undeterred.

For this he was forgiven.

Yami did not know the dangers.

"Joey!" He cried deeply. "Home I believe is this way!"

"Hang on dere just a sec, Yuug, I mean Yami. I think my phone has enough charge to make a call to my insurance company."

Yami slipped here and there, but he was exceptionally good at keeping his balance.

Joey noticed too late. As he turned away from his phone slowly, he saw his charge skirt leisurely towards the centre of the lake with his arms spread wide. He almost dropped the phone in revelation.

"Yami! You DOLT!" The scream that tore out of his lungs physically hurt his throat. "Come back! The ice ISN'T SAFE! YAMI!"

Yami mastered a slip that would have sent him sprawling as he angled himself to cock his head in confusion at his best friend. "What do you..."

A web of cracks, whiter even than that of the ice, burst from beneath the weight of his buckled boot. Yami sucked in a breath and lifted his foot away, but as he changed weight to the other boot, deeper cracks formed like a lattice work of webs beneath that one.

Joey started running, phone forgotten on the snowy grass behind him. One ugly thought ran through his mind in: _He can't freakin' swim!_

As he ran, cranking out full strides, he saw Yami plunge through the ice less than twenty metres from him. There was a moment where the pharaoh slapped at the water in the small hole he had made, and then turning to scrabble at the ice to get out.

Joey felt like he had run into some sort of slow-motion reality. The gap of distance seemed to extend than close, and his feet seemed deliberated, unhasteful. This was bad, bad, BAD!

"YAMI!"

Then the nightmare closed like jaws and Joey fell and skidded forward until his hand grappled over a cold, wet small one.

"Joey!" Yami's panic-stricken cry was torn out of its defining thickness that defined his confidence and glory. He sounded more like a wet, frightened man who had suddenly found himself too close to death.

"I've gotcha! I've gotcha!" Joey tried to work backwards while he lay on his stomach to help distribute his bodyweight. Here, at the centre of the lake the ice was thinner, and it cracked at every touch. There was nothing to brace against, but using his shoulders as leverage, Joey started to drag his friend out. It was an unlucky move. As Yami was hauled out, the ice beneath his chest fractured and broke into miniature icebergs. So Yami sank back down again. Joey was forced to swagger backwards, and tried another attempt. This time the ice breaching the hole was thicker, and it didn't snap so readily when he hauled his little friend out.

Now on dry ice, Joey risked putting wet arms around his soaked body, and rose. The ice groaned and crunched beneath his feet, but it didn't give.

Swearing constantly to himself, Joey bore him to the bank, and on solid ground. Once there, he gently set Yami down and kept him erect. The pharaoh's eyes were wide and impassive, his throat working incessantly.

"T-Thank you, J-Joey..."

"Hey, ya don't need to thank me pal, but I think we had better hurry up and get you to my place. You look as cold as death!"

Yami leaned against his friend. His body was tremulous and he had to severely focus to keep his voice steady.

"I feel fine, r-really... I'm just very... s-shook up and wet right now... Where is Teà?"

Joey looked at him doubtfully. "She went home, Yami."

"Oh, she did, did she?" He went to move forward, and he stumbled. Joey instantly hauled his thin body into his arms.

"I'm taking you to my place. It ain't that far now. Just relax, okay?"

He felt Yami nod slightly.

Joey took off at a light jog down the track they had originally been following before Yami deviated.

* * *

><p><strong>Dib07:<strong> End of Part 1.

I suppose this was a cliffhanger. Lol.


End file.
